--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist…" description: "\"“Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist part,” Julia said, interrupting, as she does. “Are you a born-again?” articulating her question as if she were ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathleen-falsani-20278_born-again_wait-go-back-to-that-southern-baptist-pa_515703.jpg" --- # Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist part,” Julia said… ![“Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist part,” Julia said, interrupting, as she does. “Are you a born-again?” articulating her question as if she were asking me if I were really a headhunter or a Martian. “Yes,” I said, “but I'm not an asshole. At least not theologically speaking.” quote by Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathleen-falsani-20278_born-again_wait-go-back-to-that-southern-baptist-pa_515703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathleen-falsani-20278_born-again_wait-go-back-to-that-southern-baptist-pa_515703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/cathleen-falsani-20278_born-again_wait-go-back-to-that-southern-baptist-pa_515703.jpg) > ““Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist part,” Julia said, interrupting, as she does. “Are you a born-again?” articulating her question as if she were asking me if I were really a headhunter or a Martian. “Yes,” I said, “but I'm not an asshole. At least not theologically speaking.”” [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning faith can be playful yet probing, revealing personal identity beyond labels. **In simple terms:** Faith questions can be light but deep. Key Takeaway Embrace honest dialogue about belief. Themes faith identity dialogue Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical conversational When to use this quote - personal conversations - interviews - group discussions - counseling Key Concepts theology personal authenticity social interaction Questions to Reflect On - How do you discuss belief without judgment? - What does “theologically speaking” mean to you? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Articulating Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articulating-question-4360176/) [Baptist Julia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baptist-julia-4360175/) [Born again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-again/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Said Interrupting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-interrupting-4360174/) [Southern baptist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern-baptist/) [Theologically Speaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologically-speaking-4360177/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) ## Related quotes > [“I have a complicated spiritual history. Here's the short version: I was born into a Mass-going Roman Catholic family, but my parents left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/i-have-a-complicated-spiritual-history-here-s-the-short-version-i-was/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Sabina." Vinca said interrupting my maudlin thoughts. "Hmmm..." She rolled her eyes. "I said, don't you think Adam looks nice tonight." I shook myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaye-wells/sabina-vinca-said-interrupting-my-maudlin-thoughts-hmmm-she-rolled/) [Jaye Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaye-wells/) > [You've always said I should have an inquiring mind," she said. "I have. But not an interrupting one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/you-ve-always-said-i-should-have-an-inquiring-mind-she-said-i-have/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [I dont feel qualified or that I really have time to be involved with the Southern Baptist Convention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-bryant/i-dont-feel-qualified-or-that-i-really-have-time-to-be-involved-with/) [Anita Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-bryant/) > [Well, I was dedicated to God before I was born by Momma and Daddy, and I was raised in a very traditional Southern Baptist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-stuart/well-i-was-dedicated-to-god-before-i-was-born-by-momma-and-daddy-and/) [Marty Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-stuart/) > [“Southern Baptist Churches Are Losing Millennials Hemant Mehta Southern Baptists are in trouble,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/southern-baptist-churches-are-losing-millennials-hemant-mehta/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I wrote 'Southern Baptist Sissies,' that was the first time that I really ventured out into pure drama with themes where there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-shores/when-i-wrote-southern-baptist-sissies-that-was-the-first-time-that-i/) [Del Shores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-shores/) > [“coming to Christ and bringing others along are among the core responsibilities of a Southern Baptist, for whom it is an article of faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/coming-to-christ-and-bringing-others-along-are-among-the-core/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My family are very, very religious in Texas. They're Southern Baptists. I left to go to New York when I was 17 and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-collins/my-family-are-very-very-religious-in-texas-they-re-southern-baptists/) [Lynn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-collins/) > [“Yeah his being Sumerian to this group would go over like an Ozzy Osbourne/Marilyn Manson duet at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/yeah-his-being-sumerian-to-this-group-would-go-over-like-an-ozzy/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > ['Christian' used to be a throwaway word. People didn't used to use it much. People didn't start self-labeling or getting labeled Christian until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/christian-used-to-be-a-throwaway-word-people-didn-t-used-to-use-it/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) [Morris Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-sullivan/) > [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Christianity has a built-in defense system: anything that questions a belief, no matter how logical the argument is, is the work of Satan by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/christianity-has-a-built-in-defense-system-anything-that-questions-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I grew up in a Southern Baptist-style church with a choir, a band, and music, but I've been asking myself my whole life, 'Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-grew-up-in-a-southern-baptist-style-church-with-a-choir-a-band-and/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) ## More by Cathleen Falsani > [While it's true that you may lose your religion during the course of a lifetime, you never lose your salvation. Once you let Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/while-it-s-true-that-you-may-lose-your-religion-during-the-course-of/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [You can call it what you like, categorize it, vivisect it, qualify, quantify, or dismiss it, and none of it will make grace anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/you-can-call-it-what-you-like-categorize-it-vivisect-it-qualify/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Sometimes grace is having the strength to persevere through the storm. Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/sometimes-grace-is-having-the-strength-to-persevere-through-the-storm/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [In her inestimable audacity, Julia was the catalyst in my life for something beautiful. I hadn't anticipated her-hadn't even wanted her, truthfully-but there she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/in-her-inestimable-audacity-julia-was-the-catalyst-in-my-life-for/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Maybe that's why Jesus was so fond of parables: Nothing describes the indescribable like a good yarn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/maybe-that-s-why-jesus-was-so-fond-of-parables-nothing-describes-the/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Everyone experiences grace, even if they don't realize it. It's kind of like Moby's music. You could ask your average sixty-something-year-old retired banker in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/everyone-experiences-grace-even-if-they-don-t-realize-it-it-s-kind-of/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve. … benign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/justice-is-getting-what-you-deserve-mercy-is-not-getting-what-you/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“I would say that grace is startling,” Jean told me as he began retelling the story of how he wound up as pastor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/i-would-say-that-grace-is-startling-jean-told-me-as-he-began/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Grace to me is a little bit of extra help when you're feeling stuck or doomed or, probably, hopefully, out of good ideas on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/grace-to-me-is-a-little-bit-of-extra-help-when-you-re-feeling-stuck/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [Of all the exotic aromas and experiences from my sojourn in Ethiopia, it’s the frankincense I miss most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/of-all-the-exotic-aromas-and-experiences-from-my-sojourn-in-ethiopia/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Some theologians argue that one kind of grace is better than another, and that some people think they're experiencing “divine” grace when it's actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/some-theologians-argue-that-one-kind-of-grace-is-better-than-another/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [I've heard it said that grace is God reaching God's hands into the world. And the Bible tells us that we are part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/i-ve-heard-it-said-that-grace-is-god-reaching-god-s-hands-into-the/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“Why grace? Because some days, it's the only thing we have in common. Because it's the one thing I'm certain is real. Because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/why-grace-because-some-days-it-s-the-only-thing-we-have-in-common/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [“This is where Jean's stubbornness and, perhaps, God's stubborn grace came into play. “My definition of grace would be multifaceted, but part of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/this-is-where-jean-s-stubbornness-and-perhaps-god-s-stubborn-grace/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [Grace has a way of sneaking up on you like that. When you least deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/grace-has-a-way-of-sneaking-up-on-you-like-that-when-you-least/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) [Explore all 31 Cathleen Falsani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) ## More Born again quotes > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The artist must create himself or be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/the-artist-must-create-himself-or-be-born-again/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [One must not only die daily, but every day we must be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/one-must-not-only-die-daily-but-every-day-we-must-be-born-again/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated . . . when that infant is brought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/it-is-this-one-spirit-who-makes-it-possible-for-an-infant-to-be/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [To be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image - from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/to-be-born-again-means-that-we-must-be-changed-from-a-negative-to-a/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [As I worked on projects which fulfilled a real human need forces were working through me which amazed me. I would often go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/as-i-worked-on-projects-which-fulfilled-a-real-human-need-forces-were/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) > [It is because Jesus Christ experienced cosmic thirst on the cross that you and I can have our spiritual thirst satisfied. It is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-is-because-jesus-christ-experienced-cosmic-thirst-on-the-cross/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I'm sure it's not any wish of mine that I'm born with inclinations for better things. If I could be born again, and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-franklin/i-m-sure-it-s-not-any-wish-of-mine-that-i-m-born-with-inclinations/) [Miles Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-franklin/) > [“A new heaven is new heart with new spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/a-new-heaven-is-new-heart-with-new-spirit/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [If individuals can be born again, why can't cities, made up of many individuals, be born again?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wagner/if-individuals-can-be-born-again-why-can-t-cities-made-up-of-many/) [C. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wagner/) > [May I be born again and again, and suffer thousands of miseries so that I may worship the only God that exists, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/may-i-be-born-again-and-again-and-suffer-thousands-of-miseries-so/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I doubt if 5% of professing Christians in America are born again-and that's true of England!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/i-doubt-if-5-of-professing-christians-in-america-are-born-again-and/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [“Just as we are, we come to Christ Jesus, He will change us to his image.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/just-as-we-are-we-come-to-christ-jesus-he-will-change-us-to-his-image/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) [Browse all 255 Born again quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-again/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Wait, go back to that Southern Baptist part,” Julia said, interrupting, as she does. “Are you a born-again?” articulating her question as if she were asking me if I were really a headhunter or a Martian. “Yes,” I said, “but I'm not an asshole. 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